Spring-bar-operating mechanism for full-fashioned knitting machines



M. ZWICKY June 3, 1930.

SPRING BAR OPERATING MECHANISM FOR FASHIONED KNITTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 1928 FIE--lllll INVENTOR: Melchior Zwicig,

ATTORNEY Patented June 3, 1930 MELGHIOB ZWIGKY, OF BERKSHIRE HEIGHTS, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO TEXTILE MACHINE WORKS, OF WYOMISSING, PENNSYLVANIA, A.

SYLVANIA CORPORATION 01 PENN- SPRING-IBAR-OPEBA'I'ING MECHANISM FOR FULL-FASHIONED KNITTING MACHINES Application filed November 1, 1928. .Serlal No. 318,498..

My invention relates to full-fashioned knitting machines, and more particularly to new andimproved means for operating the spring bar mechanism thereof to control the jack-engaging tension of its spring fingers.

Heretofo re an operatively controlled spring baicarrying jack-engaging spring fingers has been employed for varying the engaging tension of said jacks with their sinkers during certain movements of the latter, as more fully set forth and described in the copending application of Kurt ()swald Waechtler, Serial No. 225,160, filed October tenth, 1927.

My present improvements relate to novel means for operating said spring bar and comprise the simplified and improved construction hereinafter more fully describedin connection with the accompanying drawings, the novel features thereof being pointed out in the appendedficlaims.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of certain associated parts of a knitting machine sufiicient to show the application thereto of a preferredembodiment of my improved spring bar operating mechai d f 1 i .2 is acorres on ing ra entary e evatidii of the parts shown in 1, looking in the directionof arrow 2 of t e latter.

Fi .3 is a detail view of the detachable link ar connection.

Theparts' of the well known knitting machine construction indicated in Fig. 1 comprises the usual center bed frame 'bar 10, carrying as heretofore the jack-bed bars 11 with their'pivotally supported jacks 12 operative upon the sinkers 14, whichlatter are carried in known manner in a sinker head 16 mounted'on the center bed 10.

For the purpose more fully set forth in said Waec tler application before mentioned, the jacks 12 are provided with tensioning spring fingers 20 carried by a spring bar 22, the latter as heretofore havmg a pivotal mounting as indicated at 24 and rovided with a rigid arm 26 whereby desired oscillating movements'may be imparted to said bar "for varying the tension of said jack-engaging springs. i

The catch bar 30, as shown in the drawings, acts upon the sinkers 14 and their usual associated dividers and is moved horizontally by rear mechanism not shown, and vertically raised and lowered by front operating mechanism comprisin a cam on the maincam shaft of the mac ine engaging the rollered end of an arm 36 fixed to front catch bar shaft 37, the latter having a fixed arm 38 connected by a link 39 to an arm 40 secured to catch bar 30, such mechanism acting in wellknown mannerto raise and lower said catch bar 30 for engagement of its lower face recess 32 with the angular butt extensions 33 of the sinkers 14 during certain of the'machine thread-laying and loopdividing operations, all as heretofore and re uirin no further description.

s be ore mentioned, my present improve ments relate to novel means for operating the aforesaid spring bar 22, and for this purpose I employ certain of' the heretofore known mechanism for operating the usual catch bar 30 of the machine, havin found such mechanism, when the vertica movements ofcatch bar 30 and s ring fingers 20 are properly synchronized, i eal for imparting all requisite movements to thelatter for varying their jack-engaging tension without wasteful idle actions, and such -catch bar mechanism. being simply operativel con nected to said spring bar 22 by an e ective mechanism of few parts and economical manufacture readily applied to the usual standard machine construction, as will now be described. J

The referred means for connecting the aforesaid catch bar operating mechanism and the spring bar 0 crating mechanism comprises, as shown, t e arm 26 fixed to said s ring bar 22,-an arm 45 fixed to front catch ar shaft 37, and a link bar 46 connectin the free ends of said arms. One

end 0 said link bar 46 is preferably formed with a reduced end 47, as shown, loosely projecting through an aperture 48 form edin the end of arm 26 and a retaining c0llar'1jf49 is fitted to said reduced end and adjustably secured thereto in any convenient manner as by a screw or pin 50. Furthermore I prefer to form said arm end as shown with opposite convex and concave faces, collar 49' seating against the convex face, and the end of link bar 46 adjacent the reduced end 47 thereof being formed with a convex face seating in the opposed concave face of said arm end,.such structure providing for necessary swinging movement of link bar 46 with out looseness or play in its connection to arm 26.

The opposite end of link bar 46, as shown, is preferably formed with a reduced threaded extension 51 engaging the threaded nut end 52 of a handled extension 53, the latter having a notch 54:, and an adjustably tensioned projecting ball 55 seated in an aperture 66 formed in one wall of said notch 54 and adapted to retain the latter in engagement with pin 56 extending across the preferably bifurcated end of arm 45.. Such spring backed ball 55 permits ready disengagement of said link bar end with pin 56 to prevent undue tension on spring fingers 20, in the event of sinker trouble necessitating lifting catch bar 30 out of the way by increased manual turning of catch bar shaft 37 in the direction indicated by the arrow. Also adjustment of the tension of the spring fingers 20 is simply provided for by turning of the screw-thread end 51 of link bar 46 in nut end 52, lock nut 57 securing it in such adjusted position.

From the foregoing description it is believed the nature and operation of my improvements will be readily understood, and it is obvious that the preferred embodiment specifically shown and set forth may be readily modified within the spirit of my invention as defined in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a full fashioned knitting machine comprising sinkers and having a catch bar and jacks for operating the sinkers, a spring bar carrying jack-engaging fingers, a catch bar raising and lowering mechanism, and a spring bar operating mechanism actuated by said catch bar mechanism directly.

2. In a full fashioned knitting machine comprising sinkers and having a catch bar and jacks for operating the sinkers, a spring bar carrying jack-engaging fingers, a catch bar raising and lowering mechanism comprising an operating cam, and a spring bar operating mechanism actuated by said cam.

3. In a .f'ull fashioned knitting machine comprising sinkers and having a catch bar and jacks for operating the sinkers, a spring bar carrying jack-engaging fingers, a catch bar raising and lowering mechanism comprising a cam-actuated front catch-bar shaft, and a spring bar operating rectly actuated by said shafti 4.;In a full fashioned knitting machine comprising sinkers and havin a catch bar and jacks for operating the si are, a spring mechanism dibar carrying jack-engaging fingers, a catch bar raising and owering mechanism, a spring bar operating mechanism, and operative means directly connecting said catch and spring bar mechanisms.

5. In a full fashioned knitting machine comprising sinkers and having a catch bar and jacks for operating the sinkers, a spring barcarrying jack-engaging fingers, a catch bar raising and lowering mechanism, a spring bar operating mechanism directly actuated by said catch bar mechanism, and means for detachably connecting said catch and spring bar mechanisms.

6. In a full fashioned knitting machine comprising sinkers and having a catch bar and jacks for operating the sinkers, a sprin bar carrying jack-engaging fingers, a catc bar raising and lowering mechanism comprising a shaft and an arm secured thereto, a spring bar operating mechanism comprising a bar secured arm, and a link member adjustably connecting said arms.

7. In a full fashioned knitting machine comprising sinkers and having a catch bar and jacks for operating the sinkers, a spring bar carrying jack-engaging fingers, a catch bar raising and lowering mechanism comprising a shaft and an arm secured thereto, a spring bar operating mechanism comprising a bar secured arm, and a link member adjustably connecting said arms and detachably engaging with one of the latter.

8. In a full fashioned knitting machine, having sinkers and jacks for operating the sinkers, a spring bar having jack'engaging fingers, means or operating said bar, an a detachable link bar connecting said spring bar and operating means to determinedly release the tension exerted by the latter on said jack engaging fingers.

9. In a full fashioned knitting machine having sinkers, jacks for operating the sinkers, a spring bar having jack engaging fingers, a shaft, an arm on the shaft, mechanism for operating the jack en aging fingers, and a link bar connecting t e arm with said mechanism and having a notch formed in one end thereof, a pin .on the arm receivable in said notch and a plunger in the bar yieldably engaging the pin when in said notch.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

MELCHIOR ZWICKY. 

